Richard Migliore Wins Woolf Award

Veteran jockey Richard Migliore has won the 2008 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in a vote of his peers nationwide, it was announced Feb. 23 at Santa Anita. The Woolf Award has been presented by Santa Anita since 1950.

The 43-year-old Migliore was born in Babylon, NY, and broke his maiden at The Meadowlands in New Jersey in 1980. A winner of more than 4,000 races and a full-time member of the Southern California jockey colony for the past two years, “The Mig” outpolled fellow riders Roberto Gonzalez, Aaron Gryder, Randall Meier and Mario Pino.

Migliore’s award was announced live on HRTV following the sixth race by Gary Stevens, the racing network's lead analyst, a Hall of Fame member and past Woolf Award winner. Stevens also garnered acclaim for his portrayal of the legendary Woolf in the 2003 blockbuster movie, Seabiscuit.

Migliore will be formally presented with the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Trophy on March 30.

The Woolf Award is one of the most coveted trophies in all of racing, as it honors riders whose careers and personal character earn esteem for the individual and the sport of Thoroughbred racing.